I am proud to announce that I have a booth once again at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale, CA from April 8 - May 21, 2017 (weekends only). I will also be doing workshops on Sundays throughout the run of the faire. Please see my classes section for more information on the workshops.

I am proud to announce that I will have a booth at the Northern California Renaissance Faire in Hollister, CA from September 16 thru October 15, 2017 (weekends only). I will also be doing workshops throughout the run of the faire. Please see my classes section for more information on the workshops.

Ukranian Easter eggs, called pysanka, are delicate, beautiful things. And, at their heart, they're entwined with beliefs that are deep and powerful.How powerful?Some believe the fate of the world rests on decorating as many pysanka as possible.

Welcome to Pysanka.

Ukrainian Eggs decorate by Adriana

I am so glad you could drop by!The colorful art of decorating EASTER EGGS, or PYSANKY, has been a Ukrainian tradition for over ten centuries. And I want to share it with you.Please enjoy checking out my site.

The tradition of creating PYSANKY started many thousands of years ago. It dates back to the Neolithic Era, when ancient man still lived in caves, and hunted or gathered for food. Decorating eggs, a mystical object that created life, was a way of life. Preserving an animals image on the egg ensured the eminent capture of the hunted creature. Drawing plants or other objects brought that object to man. It was a way of worshipping and harboring the spirit or essence of the animal or object that was drawn. Ancient designs, predominantly white, brown, and black, are called TRYPILLIAN. These eggs have similar designs to all ancient artifacts worldwide, since all man used the natural colors of the earth, clay and ashes, and drew what they saw, swirl lines and animals.

As man evolved, and his tools became more advanced, the designs on the eggs grew more in detail. More colors emerged from man learning to create colors from different plants. The same wishes remained with the decorating of the eggs. If man wanted a good harvest, he would draw wheat on the egg. If he wished for wealth, sheep would be encorporated in the design. Man started creating eggs to give to others for well wishings. PYSANKY were given at births, engagements, weddings, sickness, anything that you would wish well for someone.

When Christianity came to Ukraine, the symbolism was encorparated to Christian meanings. The star once symbolized the pagan god Altar, and now stands for Christ and love; the cross stood for the four corners of the world, and now for Christianity. The underlying meanings all wish for love, happiness, and wealth in both the old and the new.

I learned this art from my mother, Zenovia, who in turn learned it from her mother. I was just six years old when I first began decorating pysanka. I am first generation Ukrainian-American, and hold my heritage close to my heart. For the first 16 years of my life, my Saturdays were spent in Ukrainian school, learning history, grammer and literature all in Ukrainian. Then I spent another few hours at Ukrainian scouting, PLAST. I belong to the Ukrainian Catholic church, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is one of the many churches in the Southern California which has services in Ukrainian. The Ukrainian community is, in fact, very large. At last count, there are approcimately 50,000 Ukrainian descendants living in Southern California, not all of whom are active. When I have children of my own, they too will be enrolled in Ukrainian school and scouting.